Half Share: A Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 2

It's a time of change on the Lois McKendrick. Sarah Krugg joins the crew, and Ishmael Wang moves to Environmental. After getting accustomed to life aboard a solar clipper, Ishmael must learn a whole new set of skills, face his own fears and doubts, and try to balance love and loss in the depths of space. Both Ishmael and Sarah must learn to live by the mantra "trust Lois".

Full Share: A Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 3

The Lois McKendrick runs headlong into trouble when a routine in-system transit goes bad. Ishmael and the rest of the crew must scramble to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it in order to keep the ship alive. Learn more about the officers and crew of the Lois McKendrick as they struggle to keep their ship, and discover how Ishmael finds out how wrong he's been about what it means to be a spacer in this latest Trader's Tale.

Owner's Share: Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 6

When Diurnia Salvage and Transport undergoes a change in management, Captain Ishmael Horatio Wang finds himself adrift in a sea of red ink and intrigue. He dives in only to find that he is over his head in a universe where cutthroat competition takes on an all new meaning. What tragic price will Captain Wang pay for his Owner's Share?

Double Share: A Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 4

In his first assignment as an officer, Ishmael Horatio Wang finds himself fresh out of school, wet behind the ears, and way out of his depth. Aboard the William Tinker the senior officers are derelict and abusive, the crew demoralized and undisciplined, and change unwelcomed and dangerous. Can Ishmael use what he learned aboard the Lois McKendrick to help the crew find the ship's heart? Or will he discover that bucking the system may come at too high a price?

Captain's Share: A Trader's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 5

A good captain protects his crew. Who protects the captain? A shuffling of cabins puts Ishmael Horatio Wang in command of the worst ship in the fleet. He learns that being captain doesn't make you infallible and that life in the captain's cabin is filled with new kinds of challenges as he tries to keep the ship moving, the crew out of trouble, and turn a profit to earn his Captain's Share. In a ship where the officers outnumber the crew, can he keep everybody happy? Welcome to the SC Agamemnon.

In Ashes Born: A Seeker's Tale from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, Book 1

An old friend. A new course. A deadly ship with a secret cargo. Ishmael Wang returns to Port Newmar, but ghosts from his past have followed him. His old shipmate, Phillip Carstairs, offers him the opportunity to track down the man who killed his lover. The catch? He must take command of the Chernyakova, a ship that still stinks of death and haunts Ishmael's nightmares. Together Phillip and Ismael begin a journey into unknown reaches of the Deep Dark to bring back the man who killed Greta.

Rusty Hinges: Metal Boxes, Book 3

Stone's fist, secure in the combat suit and hidden by camouflage, impacted the Hyrocanian mouth before it closed around the baby. Stone grabbed the helpless piglet with his free hand and tossed it to a startled female. The piglet, the last of her kind on the delivery shuttle, grabbed the baby and ran. Stone twisted his fist, trying his best to break every tooth in the Hyrocanian's mouth. Suddenly, his fist broke free from the shattered teeth. Opening his fist, he felt something soft and squishy at the back of the alien's throat.

Parley: Privateer Tales, Book 3

After fighting space pirates and rescuing a damsel in distress, nothing sounds better than shore leave at Puskar Stellar on Mars where Liam can reconnect with his girlfriend. But neither their newest crew member, Marny, nor the Mars Protectorate Navy is ready for them to spend much time relaxing.

Alien Arcana: Starship's Mage Series, Book 4

When a scientist is murdered after finding signs of alien magic in an archeological dig, Mage Damien Montgomery, Hand of the Mage-King of Mars, is sent to investigate both the murder and the alien runes. His investigation is interrupted when a mysterious ship attacks the ruins with weapons only available to the Martian Navy. Despite saving the dig site, Montgomery is left with more questions than answers.

Metal Boxes - At the Edge

Ensign Stone's goals were to make his way in the Empire's navy, make his family proud of him, and make love to his fiancée. No matter which way he turned, someone was conspiring against him. Disgraced and humiliated, he is court-martialed, discharged, and abandoned. Accepting what he thinks is a lowly busy-work position on a beat up old family business space freighter travelling at the edge of human space, he hopes to earn back the trust and respect he lost.

Metal Boxes: Trapped Outside

Perry Stone hasn't gotten over his fear of being outside and he still hasn't settled into life in the Empire's Navy. After months of legal wrangling over his last assignment, he has been given a new assignment. He was looking forward to getting a new posting on a spaceship or a station. The problem is that his new job is on a planet.

Fool Me Once: Privateer Tales, Book 2

Celina has no friends on Mars and to make things worse, Boyarov is skating on thin ice with the Red Houzi. He lost their ship and prisoner. Retrieving both as quickly as possible is the only hope he has of preserving his own life. He's on the hunt. If there is to be any help for Celina and Jenny, it will have to come from strangers. Puskar Stellar is a big city and finding someone who is trustworthy can be a slippery quest. Fool Me Once, a standalone novella, is the second story in Jamie McFarlane's Privateer Tales

Metal Boxes

Coming of age can be hard for anyone. But for Blackmon Perry Stone it is life threatening. At 15, he barely manages to graduate from the empire's cadet training by a talent for unusual problem solving. He has trouble settling into navy life, but life becomes harder when he uncovers a ring of thieves aboard the huge ship. Life becomes difficult when they killed him.

Rookie Privateer: Privateer Tales, Book 1

When you are old enough to finally become an Earth Mars citizen, everything should be perfect. Right? Not for Liam Hoffen. He's stuck on a mining asteroid called Colony 40, helping his father work a claim that is never going to pay out. His best friend, Nick James is set for life in James' Rental business and Liam just discovered that the girl he's known forever thinks he's pretty great and now she's leaving for the Mars Naval Academy.

The Secret of the Dark Forest: Way of the Shaman Series, Book 3

The virtual world of Barliona is a place of rest and entertainment - but not for everyone. It has become a survival arena for Daniel Mahan after he was sentenced to eight years in its virtual jail. Mahan has been through it all: the back-breaking work in the mines, betrayal by other prisoners, and finally, the retrial which has released him into Barliona's common world. What more could one want? Mahan could have kept a low profile and enjoyed relative freedom while serving the rest of his time.

The Land: Founding: Chaos Seeds, Book 1

Getting eaten alive is the worst! Stabbings, maimings, and corrosive black magic are not that great either, but you really don't want to be a wolf treat! That is the kind of hands on, "teeth on", education you get when you are summoned to the Land.

Darkcozbo says:"A Story as a game playing a game, while being real life!!!"

The Terran Privateer: The Duchy of Terra, Book 1

Earth is conquered. Sol is lost. One ship is tasked to free them. One Captain to save them all. When an alien armada destroys the United Earth Space Force and takes control of the human homeworld, newly reinstated Captain Annette Bond must take her experimental hyperspace cruiser Tornado into exile as Terra's only interstellar privateer. She has inferior technology, crude maps, and no concept of her enemy, but the seedy underbelly of galactic society welcomes her so long as she has prizes to sell and money to spend.

Voice of Mars: Starship's Mage, Book 3

When accusations of piracy and mass murder are laid against his homeworld, Damien Montgomery is sent to resolve the crisis. As counteraccusations fly and an old flame reenters his life, the newest Hand of the Mage-King of Mars finds himself in the midst of a bloody interstellar shadow war. With the death toll mounting, Damien must decide whether he should trust the world he came from - or the world that asked for his help. The wrong choice will trigger a civil war that could shatter human civilization. No pressure.

Big Pete: Privateer Tales, Book 4

Shot down behind enemy lines, all Marine Sergeant Pete Hoffen can think of is getting the remainder of his beleaguered platoon back to the extraction zone. But when a cocky, PITA lieutenant orders him to leave behind one of his own, he'll have nothing to do with it. Big Pete fights to locate his men and get the wounded out of the city, rescue his missing pilot, and avoid ripping the entire city down around him. His capture brings an entirely new problem. Who will rescue the rescuer?

New Contract: Perimeter Defense Series, Book 3

The enemy's at the gate, the situation getting worse by the second, and Ruslan's employer hasn't done a good job (to put it mildly) of securing his successes. Now the star system Unatari is under threat from the Aliens. It's high time Ruslan came back in order to rescue everything he holds dear from imminent destruction and save Perimeter Defense - the game that has become his life.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

The Citadel: Mirror World Series, Book 2

Performing deeds of online valor is the last thing on Oleg's mind, though. Neither does he care about any ancient lore. He's never trusted adventure, anyway. Mirror World is no place for the likes of him. Still, he's here to stay - at the demand of Reflex Bank, which has granted him a loan for his daughter's hospital treatment. Which is the only reason he's joined the ranks of the defenders of the Maragar Citadel.

Earth Alone: Earthrise, Book 1

They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Fifty years ago bloodthirsty aliens devastated the Earth. Most of humanity perished. We fell into darkness. But now we rise from the ashes. Now we fight back. Marco Emery was born into the war. After his mother is killed, he joins the Human Defense Force, Earth's ragtag army. Emery must survive basic training, become a soldier, and finally face the aliens in battle. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win.

Sol: The Silver Ships Series, Book 5

Sol's warships paid the ultimate price for threatening the Haraken and New Terran worlds. Now, Haraken president Alex Racine and his Méridien partner, Renée de Guirnon, are engaged in a desperate gamble to stop a war between their worlds and United Earth's (UE) massive forces before it starts. What's Alex's grand plan? He hasn't a clue, but his people believe in him and hope he will find a way to protect them.

Publisher's Summary

What if we sent freighters instead of frigates?

In a universe run by corporations, where profit matters more than life, how can an orphan with no skills, no money, and no prospects survive?

When Ishmael Wang's mother dies in a senseless accident, he's given a choice: leave the planet on his own, or the company will remove him. To avoid deportation Ishmael finds work as a mess deck attendant on an interstellar freighter.

Quarter Share is the first of Nathan Lowell's Trader's Tales, detailing the journey of Ishmael Horatio Wang ("call me Ishmael") from a raw, quarter-share, green newbie on the Solar Clipper Lois McKendrick, to the owner of a trading ship himself.

Quarter Share is not high adventure, but quiet pleasure. No one is in great peril, no wars or murders or shoot-em-ups happen. So if your tastes run to MilSF, this probably isn't for you.

What Nathan Lowell gives us is a a _good story_. One we can listen to and enjoy. Jeffrey Kafer's narration is good, with no over-dramatization and good pacing -- much in the style of the author's own reading of the book earlier as a podcast. Highly recommended, and I can't wait for the rest of the series.

I adore these stories. I've listened to them for years and I own the hard copies! The overall story line would have to be what I love most.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ishmael is the main character but I have always loved Cookie.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jeffrey Kafer?

Yes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Like I said, I love these books. However, I feel that Audible/Jeffrey Kafer dropped the ball a bit on the recording details. I have listed to Nathan Lowell's performance of these books and Mr. Kafer is mispronouncing many of the names and descriptive words. I would have hoped that the performer would have talked to the author of the book to see how to pronounce the "odd ball" items. It kills me to be expecting "Roo-by-a" and hear "Roob".

Where does Quarter Share rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

this books ranks in the top 10 percent as far as books that I have read

Who was your favorite character and why?

my favorite character is pip the reason why is I have a hard time identifying with the main character Ishmael but Pip is me in many ways. this is a coming of age story and the struggles this secondary character goes through are the same types of struggles I would have,. pip also has my sense of humor and reacts to problems in the same way I would react.

Have you listened to any of Jeffrey Kafer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Jeffery kafer does a good job. I have listened to before reading The empires Corp series by Christopher gnutella.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no...

Any additional comments?

I first listened to this book six years ago. the author had released it free on the internet and actually read the book himself. I am excited to see it on audible and in print because it truly is science fiction of a different type and does not fit the stereotypical science fiction story, there is no climatic battle or life changing story in fact you will spend most the story waiting for the story to start unable to put it down because the book begs you to continue reading till you get to the end and realize you want to hear more of this authors work.

It's a pleasant listen. Nothing ever goes wrong and everyone is nice to each other. I can only imagine that this is because it should really be the first part of a larger book.

What really bothers me is that the book is advertised as over 7 hours long, but when you check the chapters you'll notice the last one is 1 hour by itself. Turns out that's the preview for the next book. That just feel underhanded and scammy. I like the story but am not sure I want to support this practice by buying the rest of the series.

i would buy the next 4 books in 4 minuets. if you are looking for more like this lois mcmaster bujold vorkosigan saga is a great series.it is so nice to see character based science fiction coming back.

Where does Quarter Share rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I am a big fan of all of the Tale's from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, and Quarter Share was my introduction to this universe. This was the first time I've seen a slice of life style story set in a sci-fi world. Normally, if there are spaceships there are either aliens, and/or war. And those stories have a place in my heart, but until I first listened to Quarter Share, I had no idea I even WANTED a story about the day to day life of a furturistic merchant marine. Now I've looked for others, but have yet to find one that compares to this series.There is something timeless about the story, so that, if not for the occasional tech, and science talk, Ish's story feels like it could take place in any time or place, be it today, or 200 years ago.Also, the further the series goes along, the more you feel like your looking at the early years of some great and important figure, and learning how he found his ideals and beliefs.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the timelessness of the story. I also like the spirit of cooperation this story inspires. Ish doesn't set out to change the spacer culture, or to make Pip a better crewman. He just wants to learn, and to make things better for everyone, and it's recognized by others, and people generally respond to it positively.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Ish and Pip begin private trading, and ultimately organize the co-op.

FIRST OF ALL THIS SERIES IS A TRAP if you are truly interested listen/read the 1st two only!!!!

Overall the story told is slow canny and utterly engaging the story is from a genre that I don't think most Americans recognize and misclassify as drama. This is a slice of life peace set in a possible world in which we sail across the stars. "Spoiler" that being said books 1-4 are good books but book 5 is meh but has its moments book 6 starts off strong but ends the whole series in a crazy fucked up way that ruins the whole point of the trader tails.

First off, I've loved the Trader's Tale books from the beginning and am so happy to see them on Audible. I'm going to have a hard time waiting for the rest.

The series is a great coming of age story in space without the explosions and fighting so common in sci-fi. it's a story about life and dealing with this as they happen. The characters are great, personable and real. While it lacks the traditional story the world building is great and I can't wait for more tales from the deep dark.

Dartmouth Arabasti or Sarabanda Dark, just keep the urn clean and brew with cold water. Once you listen to the book that will make more sense.

I am a huge fan of Nathan Lowell and his narration of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series. And so it took a couple of chapters to get used to the characters not sounding quite the same as I am used to hearing. But, only a few chapters in, I find I like this just as well, more in some ways.

More to the point, this is a wonderful story and the narrator does it justice. I look forward to listening to the whole series as it is released.

While in search of authors new to me I noticed this one coming up. It’s a rather different approach to science fiction in that it’s really a coming of age story that just happens to be set in the distant future. The futuristic setting provides the framework of the story rather than being the focus. It is a very gentle story, and I found it surprisingly engaging. If you are looking to set your phasers on maximum then you’ll have to set a course elsewhere because this is about a young man making his way in the world or rather galaxy. It is about encountering problems and overcoming them, about making friends and relationships in a new environment. Looking for a direction in life when the one you had always imagined for yourself is ripped away from you unexpectedly.

It’s a warm story and the author clearly has a lot in the way of human empathy. The narration feels right bringing the feel of almost classical fiction to the reader. Personally I like my battles and a good dose of “the engines canna take it” but this story kept me engaged. There is a good amount of detail that has gone into the way that this future universe works and how the trading ships operate which comes through. The characters also have a genuine feel to them.

Even given the premise I have to say I don’t think it’s perfect. I found it a little strange that virtually everyone that Ish, the lead in our story, came directly into contact with was actually genuinely nice. It’s hard to imagine hard-working crews of deep space freighters being quite so friendly across the board. You’d expect at least some kind of harder element to show up. I also have a bit of a beef about the length of the book. Something like an hour of this one is dedicated to a free introduction to the next in the series. Positive is that they are obviously planning to release more of the series for those that will continue with it. Negative, that seems a bit much to me, free previews are nice but some might feel that’s being used to pad this relatively short book into appearing more than it is . . .

That aside, and I’m still not 100% sure why but I enjoyed the maturity from the author of just writing a story set in the future. “The Golden Age” gives a good feeling for the his intentions. So if that appeals this one may well be worth one of your credits. Just put your phaser back in its holster first 

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

kanundra

5/16/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Different, but amazing."

When I like someone, I kinda follow them, so when I saw that Jeffrey Kafer posted about a new sci fi. I was like, Oh, yes please!

I did learn that it wasn't the usual kinda sci fi I read or have started to listen to, but that didn't mean I did not enjoy this.

The author Nathan Lowell has really done something different here. This is a very character driven book with people you can soon fall in love with. The main character Ish, has just lost his mum in a tragic accident, and with no parents and no job he's about to be forced off planet, so he takes the first thing offered to him because he's no choice.

The kid finds himself on the Lowis, (sp) and embarks on a very different way of looking at things, something no one on the ship has seen before.

Ish soon makes friends with the people in his department, Cookie and Pip. Even though he shows Pip up, he finds time to actually help the other youngster, and they become not only friends but partners in crime too, getting up to all kinds of trading adventures.

Pip, however, isn't having much fun, after losing everything he had in a trade gone wrong, it's the captain and Ish that help him here, and they begin to form a co-op with the ships best interests at heart.

The narration from Jeffrey is great, he's perfect in first person POV and the inner mind of a youngster finding his feet, not only with the fleet, but amongst other people is interesting and very well done. Jeffrey delivers a lot of emotion with hardly any effort and all the characters come alive. I was especially fond of Bev and Dianne. :) even Francis and Cookie. :)

I do think that there should have been a little more conflict for Ish on the ship. Although he's never been off planet before, the people he meets, all seem a little too nice. Maybe that's because Ish himself is just so nice, he never seems to fire up over much, doesn't really grieve for his mum, and I think I'd really like that, even if it wasn't in the first section of the book, but defo towards the end. The closest we get to that is when he remembers packing up on the planet, and moving to his new quarters, (but I'm not sure if that was actually in the second piece, as there was a few chapters in there for free.)

I am really interested in seeing what the gang does now though with their trading empire. I wonder what can go wrong, and what other relationships are going to form. It seemed Ish was starting to become attracted to some of his female friends on a different level, he kinda doesn't mention that from the planet. about his other friends, or any potential girlfriends.

Thanks for an awesome new series to follow, and I look forward to more! :)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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